Ravel resistant textile products



April 25, 1967 A. T. CLIFFORD ETAL 3,316.1 l 7 RAVEL RESISTANT TEXTILE PRODUCTS Filed July 15, mm

INVENTORS. ALFRED 7.' CL /FFORD GRAVES TI GORE AT'TOQNE YS United States Patent Ofiice Filed July 15, 1963, Ser. No. 295,080 1 @lairn. (tCl. 117-4) This invention relates to ravel resistant textile products and more particularly to controlling raveling along the cut edges of such products.

The problem of raveling along the cut edges of a Woven textile product has long been present. This problem has especially been acute in the cutting of diapers, towels, bath cloths, dish towels, and the like. Many solutions have been offered to this problem, but none has proven satisfactory in terms of time, expense and materials.

This invention will be described hereinafter in terms of diapers, but it is to be understood that the principles of this invention are equally as well adaptable to any woven textile products where the problem of raveling along the cut edge will occur.

In prior times diapers were hemmed along the cut edges to prevent raveling. This process was necessarily time consuming and required an additional sewing step in the production of diapers.

In an attempt to eliminate hemming, a narrow plain weave bar was woven into the diaper across the length thereof and a cut was vmade in the center of the cutting bar, the plain weave being somewhat more resistant to raveling than the weave employed in the body of the diaper, e.g. a Birdseye weave. An example of this procedure in which the number of picks in the bar was substantially increased, and a pinked form of cut was used, is disclosed in N. L. Seltzer Patent No. 2,977,997, issued Apr. 4, 1961. This proposal did not reduce raveling to a point where it was not objectionable.

The degree to which raveling will occur along the cut edge in this type of product varies with the construction, including warp yarn size, warp yarn count, filling yarn size, filling yarn count, type of weave, and type of fiber. Heretofore, a different size warp had to be used for different weights or styles of diapers because of the differ ent raveling qualities in these diapers. A light weight diaper could not be manufactured from the same warp as a heavy weight diaper because of the added tendency of the light weight diaper to ravel along the cut edges. Increasing the number of picks of filling threads in the cutting bar would not give a satisfactory control of raveling. Even under optimum conditions, which included the best possible balance in the variables, ends per inch for the warp, picks per inch for the filling, type of weave, and type of fiber, the pinked cut edges in the pinking bar would ravel during laundering to a certain extent.

This invention provides a marked improvement in controlling the raveling properties along the cut edges of woven textile products, including a pinked cut in the cutting bar of diapers so as to provide nearly perfect control in raveling with any practical construction. By nearly perfect control of raveling, this invention makes it practical to weave diapers varying in weight from light to heavy, all from a common warp. By using a common warp of specified yarn size and specified number of ends, a series of diapers varying in weight may be woven by merely varying the size and/or number of filling yarns. This is possible because the problem of raveling is controlled with any variations in construction.

In accordance with this invention the raveling control is accomplished by depositing minute amounts of a ravel preventing composition at spaced points adjacent to the 3,316,117 Patented Apr. 25, 1967 pinked or otherwise cut edges of the product to cause the fabric to be ravel resistant along those out edges. The ravel preventing composition seals those cut and uncut yarns running parallel with the cut to the ends of the yarns running perpendicular to the cut.

While it is the usual practice to cut a web of material, such as diapers, along a line parallel to the filling yarns, it is to be understood that the principles of the invention may be used for any cut including one parallel to the warp yarns.

The ravel preventing composition used may be one which will last throughout the life of the diaper to prevent raveling. However, a composition can be used which will last only long enough to seal all the yarns in place until the projecting ends of the yarns running perpendicular to the out have become sulficiently entangled to prevent raveling of the yarns running parallel to the cut.

The ravel preventing composition may be applied, as described, by any suitable mechanical. means, and reference may be had to an application of Graves T. Gore,

Albert D. Martin and Norman Smith, Ser. No. 295,091,

filed July 15, 1963, now US. Patent No. 3,250,245, issued May 10, 1966, filed concurrently herewith, for a suitable means to apply the composition to the textile product.

Further features of this invention will be understood from a consideration of the following more detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a diaper made in accordance with this invention showing spaced dots of ravel pre venting composition.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary portion of FIG. 1 showing the cut edge with ravel preventing composition thereon.

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a length of the material before the ravel preventing composition has been applied and before the material has been cut.

Referring to FIGURE 3, there is shown a continuous web of material 14 which may be cut into individual lengths for any suitable use such as diapers, towels, etc. For purposes of description here, the individual cut lengths will be described as diapers. The continuous web 14 may be woven from a common warp varying the size and/or number of filling yarns to produce different weight diapers. The continuous web 14 comprises a main body portion 12 which may be of the conventional Birdseye weave and a pinking bar portion 13 of a closely woven plain weave.

The improved diapers 11 made in accordance with this invention as shown in FIGURE 1 are cut from the continuous web 14 into individual diaper lengths by a suitable pinking cutter mechanism (not shown) which will leave pinked edges 15 at the ends of the diaper 11.

To prevent these pinked edges 15 from raveling there is applied to the edge a plurality of spaced sealing dots 16 of a suitable composition that renders the cut edge resistant to raveling. Illustrative but non-limiting examples of suitable compositions are as follows:

Example I 7.5% solution of alcohol soluble polyamide resin in ethanol (Sergene).

Example 111 5% solution of ethylcellulose in ethyl acetate solvent.

3 Example 1V 5% solution of ethyl cellulose in ethanol solvent.

Example V 5% ethyl cellulose solution in chlorohydrocarbon solvent.

Example VI 5% ethyl cellulose, 70% chlorohydrocarbon solvent, 18% ethyl alcohol, and 7% phosphate ester plasticizer.

Example VII 46% aqueous dispersion of acrylic copolymer.

Example VIII Example X Hot melt of polyethylene.

These compositions seal those yarns that are adjacent to the p-inked edge and run parallel to the cut, to the ends of the yarns that run perpendicular to the cut. This prevents raveling of the uncut parallel yarns until the ends of the perpendicular yarns have had a chance to become frayed and entangled. Although it is possible to use a composition which will last throughout the life of the diaper, this is not essential because the ends of the perpendicular yarns will become entangled after use and laundering to such an extent that they will prevent the raveling of the cut and uncut parallel yarns. However, the use of a composition which will last through the life of the diaper has certain advantages. When a composition is used to hold all of the yarns in place throughout the life of the diaper, the entanglement of the projecting ends of the perpendicular yarns is reduced and the pink-ed edge holds its freshly pinked appearance through many launderings. A similar pinked edge without the composition the-rein will lose its freshly pinked appearance.

These spaced sealing dots 16 may be applied by a rotary anvil-applicator wheel as disclosed in the above identified copending application. It is to be noted that in the use of the compositions described in Examples VIII and 1X, that the compositions must be dried by heat at approximately 350 F.

As shown in FIG. 2, the preferred position of each of the sealing dots 16 is at the intersection of a longitudinal axis 17 through each outer point in the pinked edge and a transverse axis 18 which is tangent with each of the inner points in the pinked edge. This position of the sealing dots 16 gives the maximum ravel resistance in the cut edge. However, other positions of the sealing dots will provide ravel resistance to the cut edge and this invention is not to be limited to any particular position of the sealing dots 16.

By this invention applicants have produced a diaper or similar individually cut products which have cut edges, containing spaced deposits of a composition to prevent raveling and to eliminate the necessity for hemining and to minimize the necessary amount of composition needed for each edge. The ravel preventing composition allows the product to retain a cut edge which is soft and pliable and highly suitable for use as a diaper, towel, etc., which must be soft and pliable for contact with the user.

The invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A textile fabric product comprising a main portion, pinked unhemmed edges having outer and inner points therein, and spaced non-contacting dot deposits of small amounts of ravel-preventing composition impregnated in the fabric adjacent said pinked edges and located at the juncture of an axis parallel to said pinked edges and tangent with said inner points in said pinked edges and axes perpendicular to said pinked edges and passing through said outer points in said pinked edges for providing maximum ravel resistance in said pinked edges and for retaining pinked edges which are soft and pliable and have similar characteristics to said main portion of said fabric product.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,619,089 11/1852 Swartz 128-284 2,744,844 5/1956 Wood et al. l28-284 2,833,283 5/1958 Shahr et al. 128290 2,977,997 4/1961 Seltzer 128284 X 3,035,577 5/1962 Bletzinger et al 128--2 3,036,573 5/1962 Voigtman et al 128-287 3,088,464 5/1963 Harmon 128290 RICHARD A. GAUD'ET, Primaz y Examiner.

C. F. ROSENBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

